Omelette Curry

Eggs - 5
Yukon Gold Potato - 1, cut in small cubes
Red Onion - 1, finely chopped
Tomato - 1
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch, very finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 2, finely chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bayleaf - 2
Salt
Pepper
Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Beat the eggs well. Add salt, pepper and about a tbsp of chopped onion. Make a folded omelette of the mixture. Cool and cut into cubes. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds, bayleaf and chopped green chillies.

Add the chopped garlic and ginger and saute for a few minutes.

Now add the chopped onion. Cook till the onion gets slightly brown in color.

Add the potato, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and red chilli powder. Cook till the potato gets slightly brown and is half cooked. Add the chopped tomato and green peas and cook till the tomato gets soft.

Add around 2 cups of water, increase the heat, cover the skillet and bring it to boil. Cook till the potato is soft. Remove the cover and add the cubed omelette. Cook for a few  minutes more till the gravy thickens. Sprinkle a dash of garam masala on top. Serve hot with puris.

Adapted from http://spiceandcurry.blogspot.com/2009/06/omeletteer-jholomelette-curry.html

Quinoa Pudding

Adapted from http://www.ecurry.com/blog/desserts/quinoa-pudding-with-rose-and-pomegranate/

Quinoa - 3/4 cup
Milk 2% - 5 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Rosewater - 1 tbsp
Raisins and cashewnuts - 2 tbsp

Wash the quinoa seeds well  for atleast a minute in a fine strainer. Keep aside.

Bring the milk and sugar to a boil in a heavy bottomed pan.

Add the washed quinoa and cook on low flame for almost an hour. The quinoa should be cooked and the milk should thicken and have a creamy consistency. Note that the quinoa doesnt get too soft like rice in a rice pudding. It remains a little hard and retains its shape. For softer texture of quinoa, wash it in the strainer and leave it in the strainer overnight.

Add the rose water and the chopped nuts and serve chilled.

Shitake Mushroom Stir fry

Shitake Mushroom - 3.5 oz box - Serves one
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Red Pepper Flakes - 1/4 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1 tsp
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and slice them.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook on low heat till the garlic starts getting brown.

Add the sliced mushroom. Saute for a couple of minutes till the mushrooms are soft and cooked. Add the soya sauce and toasted sesame seeds. Cook for a minute more. Serve hot.

Koshimbir

Greek Yoghurt - 1 cup
English Cucumber - 1/2, grated
Tomato - 1, chopped
Red Onion - 1/4, finely chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Roasted peanuts - a handful, coarsely crushed
Rock Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 1 tsp

Beat the yoghurt well and mix the rest of the ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Rasmalai

My favourite dessert. Nothing can beat the light and delicate taste of cold rasmalai. Even tough I try hard not to use processed white sugar in any food I cook, this is one dessert where I cannot avoid it. Rasmalai will not be the same if white sugar is not used.

Makes around 20 medium sixed rasgullas
For Rasgulla:
Organic Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon or 1.89 L ,
Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
Granulated Sugar - 1.5 cups
Water - 4 cups
Rosewater - 1 tsp

For Malai:
Organic Half and Half - 32 oz / quarter gallon / 946 ml
Sugar - 5 tbsp or as per taste
Cardamom Powder - a pinch
Pistachio - 1/2 tbsp, finely chopped

Sieve the lemon juice so that it has no solid particles. Mix it with 2 tbsp of water and keep aside.

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.

As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. When the curd starts separating from the whey, turn off the heat.

Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth or cotton napkin.

Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for atleast 3 minutes, and squeeze well.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard for atleast 15 minutes until the paneer rolls into smooth soft dough.

Divide the dough into tiny marble sized portions and roll them into smooth balls.

Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.

Add the paneer balls and close the cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove and keep aside to cool.

Now take a heavy bottomed pan. Add the half anf half and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and cook till the milk reduces to half. Keep stirring in between so that the milk doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once it is reduced, add the sugar and the cardamom powder. Cook for a few minutes more.

Remove the rasgulla from the syrup, squeeze well and add them to the thickened milk. Garnish with pistachio on top. For added flavor, a few strands of saffron can also be added to the malai. Let the rasgullas soak in the milk for atleast an hour before serving.

Mango Dal with Yellow Split Peas

Mator dal / Yellow Split Peas - 3/4 cup
Water - 2 cups
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Peanut Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green Chili - 2 + 2
Yellow Onion - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Green raw mango - 2 very small ones or 1 big one, peeled and chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch, julienned

Cook the dal with water, salt, turmeric in a pressure cooker or rice cooker till done. The dal should be very soft. Mash it well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they pop, add the green chilies, ginger and chopped onion. Cook till the onion gets soft and slightly caramelised.

Add the chopped mango pieces and a little turmeric. Cook till the mango pieces become soft.

Add the mashed dal. Add a cup of water, if required. Check the seasoning. Bring it to a boil and cook till desired consistency is reached. Break a few green chilies on top and serve hot with steamed brown rice.

Kale with Potatoes

Organic Green kale - 1 bunch, washed and chopped along with tender stems
Red Potato -1, cut into very small cubes
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric - a pinch
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds. Once they pop, add the green chillies and potato.

Sprinkle turmeric and salt and saute the poatoes till they are almost cooked and crisp on the outside.

Add the chopped kale and toss everything together. Sprinkle 1 tbsp water and cover and cook for a few minutes.

Remove the cover and adjust the seasoning. Cook without cover for a few minutes more. Serve hot.

Baby Spinach Salad

Organic Baby Spinach - 2 cups, washed and dried
Red Onion - a few thick wedges
Tomato - 1, cut in wedges
Slivered Almonds - 1 tbsp
Raisins / Dried Cranberries - 1 tbsp
Pitted Kalamata Olives - a few, chopped
Honey Mustard - 1/2 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp

In a bowl mix together everything except the spinach leaves. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Broccoli Potato with Cumin

Broccoli - cut into medium sized florets, 2 cups
Red Potato - 1, small, cut into small cubes
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 2, chopped
Red Onion - 1/2, thinly sliced
Turmeric - a pinch
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Water - 2 tsp

Heat a cast iron skillet. Add oil, cumin seeds, green chillies. After a minute add the sliced onion.

Saute till the onion gets a little soft. Add the chopped potato, ginger, turmeric and salt. Saute till the potato cubes are cooked.

Now add the broccoli florets, coriander powder, cumin powder and aamchur. Toss well. Sprinkle a little water and cover and cook for a couple of minutes.

The broccoli florets should be bright green and crunchy and should not be overcooked.

Caramel Custard

Whole Milk - 2.5 cups
Eggs - 3
Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup  + 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp

Take a round steel pan which can fit into a rice cooker. Keep aside

Heat the milk along with 1/2 cup sugar till the sugar melts. Add vanilla essence and let it cool to room temperature.

Take a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Heat on low fire till the sugar melts. Increase the heat to medium high. The mixture becomes bubbly and changes color. Keep on heat till the sugar caramelises and becomes golden brown. watch carefully so that it doesnt burn. As soon as it caramelises and reaches golden color, pour the sauce in the steel round pan. Leave it to cool down.

Beat the eggs well and add to the milk. Once the caramel cools down, sieve the milk egg mixture and pour it on the caramel. The mixture has to be sieved to get a smooth custard texture. Cover it tightly with an alluminium foil.

Add 3.5 cups of water to the rice cooker and place the steel pan with the custard mixture in it.

Steam for around 40 minutes. Remove and cool down. Place it in the fridge for atleast an hour.

Remove the foil and invert it on a serving plate.

Boondi Raita

Besan - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup

Yoghurt - 2 cups
Rock salt - a pinch
Sugar - 2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp

Sift the besan with a flour sifter. Add water slowly and make a batter by mixing simultaneously using a wire whisk. The batter should not be too watery and should be of dosa batter consistency.

Heat oil in a kadai over medium heat. The oil should be sufficiently hot before dropping the batter. This can be tested by putting a drop of batter in the oil. The drop should immediately bubble up.

Now hold the ladle over the kadai and pour some batter on it. The drops of batter will fall on the oil and immediately bubble up. Remove the boondis once they begin to change color. Leave the boondis on a paper towel to soak excess oil.

Before frying the next batch of boondis, wipe the ladle completely clean. If the ladle has some batter clinging to it, the next batch of boondis will not be round and they will have an elongated shape. Continue frying like this for the entire batter.

Beat the curd well with rock salt, sugar, cumin and chilli powder. Reserve a handful of boondis and add rest of them to the curd and mix well. Leave on for 10 minutes so that the boondis can soak up some liquid and become soft. Sprinkle paprika and the reserved boondis on top and serve.

Red lentil Soup with Baby Spinach

Dried Red Lentil / Mushurir Dal - 3/4 cup
Tomato - 1, chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Water - 3 cups
Shallots - 3, finely sliced
Garlic - 4, thinly sliced
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Baby Spinach - 2 cups
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, add shallots, garlic and green chilli. Cook till the shallots begin to change color.

Now add the red lentil, chopped tomato, salt, turmeric, water and cover and cook till the lentils is done. It should take around 20 minutes.

Once the soup reaches the desired consistency, remove the cover and add the spinach leaves. Cook for a few minutes more till the leaves begin to wilt. The leaves should remain bright green and should not be overcooked.

Remove from heat, add a dash of lemon juice on top and serve immediately.

Alu Bhaja

Red Potato - 2 medium sized or Japanese Yam - 1 big
Salt
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Peanut Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash the potato and leave the skin on. Cut them into thin strips. Take a large pan full of water and put around 2 tsp salt in it. Soak the potato strips in the salted water for atleast 30 minutes. Then drain the water and keep the strips aside.

Take a cast iron skillet and heat the peanut oil well on medium high heat. Once the oil is heated enough, add the potato strips and chilli powder. Toss well and cook stirring occasionally till the potato gets slightly browned and crispy. Check seasoning. Additional salt may not be required as the potato was soaked in salt water.

Remove on a paper towel to soak excess oil. Serve with mushurir dal and steamed rice.

Kale Chips

Kale - 1 bunch
Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Salt
Red Chili Flakes

Wash the leaves well and dry with paper towel. Remove the stem and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces.

Spread the leaves on 2 baking sheets. Add olive oil, salt and red chili flakes and mix well.

Bake in 375F preheated oven for 20 minutes until the edges are brown and the leaves are crispy.

Uttapam

Brown Rice - 3/4 cup

Urad Dal - 3/4 th cup
Methi Seeds - 10
Brown Rice powder - 2 tbsp
Salt
Onion - 1/2, finely chopped
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 4, finely chopped
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, finely chopped
Oil for cooking the uttapam

Soak brown rice, urad dal and methi seeds overnight. Wash, drain and grind the mix finely adding a little water as required. Add rice powder and salt and cover and leave it to ferment for 12 hours.

Mix a little water to make the consistency like pancake and add chopped onion, tomato, chilli, cilantro. Adjust salt.  Heat a non stick pan. Put a ladle full of mixture, smear a little oil and cook till golden brown on both sides. Serve with sambar and chutney.